The Livermore Roots Tracer - l-ags.org

1 I SSN0736-802X The Livermore Roots Tracer ..; ..'.~ . " ' '''''''':.r .--, ,1'.,.".\.' .'~ l;1.~ , Livermore -Amador Genealogical Society POBox 901 Livermore , Cal ifornia 94550 .I. Livermore -AMADOR GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Livermore , California Officers for 1986-67 Roots Tracer Virginia Moore President Volume VI Fall 1986 No. 1 Vern Barr 1st Vice-President Bill Wolcott 2nd Vice-President & Art Skinner Contents of this Issue Dixie Newbury Corresponding Secretary Clarence Parkison Treasurer Marilyn Fullam Secretary Committee Chairpersons Publicity, Lee Meola Programs, Wolcott & Skinner Membership, Vern Barr Transportation, Cultural Arts Rep, Olivette Chinn Editor, Roots Tracer & Cemeteries, Margaret Fazio Roots Tracer Editorial Board Margaret Stoneking Fazio, RoseMarie Stickney Wade, Judy Banks Wi 11 iams} Dixie Carter Newbury, Beverly Schell Ales and George Anderson; Roots Tracer Address: 454 Dover Way, Livermore , CA 94550.

2 Deadlines for Tracer : Summer Issue, June 15; Fall Issue, September 15; Winter Issue, December 15; and Spring Issue, March 15. Please send all queries to : Mrs. Judy Williams, Query Editor, 1944 Mars Rd, Livermore , CA 94550. $l/Query for Non-members. Will Review Published Items In Exchange For Copy For Our Library. Meetings: 2nd Monday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Hacienda Business Park Community Room, Suite 107, 4637 Chabot Drive, Pleasanton. New dues schedule each year: Member $10 Family $15 Senior/Student $5 payable July 1 of Contributing $25 Supporting $50 Life $100 Page Editorial Notes 186 Society News 187 Query Corner 188 Bookshelf 190 }t'eatures: Correspondence 188 Contents of Military Microfilms at San Bruno Archives 197 Genealogy and Genetics 195 Valley Roots The Amador in Our Name 191 St. Michael's Cemetery Part XII 192 News of Other Organizations 198 Genealogical Aids Research Aids: Alameda Co.

3 201 Societies -Foreign Countries202 New Mailing Address Box 901 Livermore , CA 94550 New Library Address Livermore History Center East Room Old Carnegie Library 3rd & K Streets Livermore . CA 94550 For More Information Call: Virginia: 447-8316 RoseMarie: 447-6861 Margaret: 443-25769 -- I EDITORIAL NOTES was rereading BRING OUT YOUR DEaD, The Great Plague of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793, by J. H. Powel L 1949, and ran across some interesting ideas in this piece of research. It is based primarily on Dr. Benjamin Rush's papers and letters as well as The Federal Gazette, published daily during the fever and other letters and dairies of the time. According to Prothonotary Charles Biddle, who tried to ignore the horrid facts, "all the thousands who had died were only foreigners, interlopers, strangers; that no more than 80 citizens of Philadelphia had perished, and most of these were foreign-born.

4 " No one believed it. Mathew Carey's account of the dead was printed in his print shop with new editions coming out regularly was more honest. "He counted 4,044 dead and named them. Yet even this was not the whole, for nearly everyone could mention others who were not named in Carey's book." "Nor did numbers alone tell the story. Doctors, ministers, merchants, lawyers, these of the city's great were among the dead. And hundreds upon hundreds who were merely names, and countless nameless children, laborers, servants, artisans of all trades, Negroes known only by a nickname - Carey's list was a cross section of . Carey's figures show half the houses closed, half the inhabitants fled; probably more than five thousand perished in the city alone. " "What shocked people was a sudden mass of death (not death itself), the uneasy fear that would forever after go with living in a city.

5 " "For return the fever did, in 1794, and 1796, and 1797, and 1798, and for many years thereafter. Seven great plagues -186 and many lesser visitations came to the city in the course of a ~ generation, and as the nineteenth century wore on yellow fever spread to countless American towns and states, to Baltimore, Mobile, New Orleans, to most of the settled parts of the land south and west. " "Much 1it~erature distorted rather than illuminated the truth about the disaster of 1793 .. But men do not learn from history; and the sentiments customary among historians rarely permit them to indulge in austere observation. It was tradition, not truth, which grew into literature, tradition American and optimistic. So irresistible were the currents of nationalistic thought that the great French doctors, the Santo Domingan volunteers, the failure of Americans and the successes of the refugees at Bush Hill, were all but forgotten.

6 " I suppose my point in relatin~ this interesting story is this. If you have early ancestors that cannot be traced during a certain period of time, and when you do find them several are missing, you might consider looking into the area of their origin and see if some epidemic may have occurred. Digging into history by writing to an historical society and asking about this kind of thing may prove to be very exciting. Old newspapers would facilitate this and you might find a list of the dead, buried, I might add, without benefit of obituary and possibly without tombstone. And speaking o~ tombstones and endings, this is my last Tracer . I've recently gone back to teaching and no longer have the luxury of free time in which to formulate my thoughts on much of anything. Someone new will need to come forward to take over this job. I have enjoyed my turn as editor.

7 I took it willingly for the possibilities of sharing my new discoveries with others. I am hopeful that one of you will step forward and do it for the same reason. As editor, you have control over what goes into the Tracer . It's a creative job with lots of rewards. There are many who help put the Tracer together, so you won't have to do it alone. Perhaps we can try visiting editors for awhile so those interested can try it and see if they like it. We'll need you before January when the next Tracer comes due. Margaret Fazio, Editor July 1981 -Oct 1986 ATTENTION ALL GENEALOGICAL SPEAKERS The California State Genealogical Alliance is preparing to publish its third biennial "Speakers' List". This publication serves to help both speakers, who wish to have societies know of their availability; and genealogical societies, who wish to have more variety in their programs.

8 All speakers who wish to be included in the booklet please contact Gladys Muller, Speakers' List chairman, 8136 Edmaru Ave., Whittier, CA 90602. Everyone who responds will be sent a fact sheet to complete in January for inclusion in the booklet. -187 SOCIETY NEWS Welcome New Members Barbara 4851 Altamirano Ave., Pleasanton, CA 94566, 415-462-1841 D' R. Burbank, 6346 Calle Altamira, Pleasanton, CA 94566, 415-462-5966 Gayle Melvin Ellison, 5927 Hansen Dr" Pleasanton, CA 94566, 415-846-6798 Billy D. Green, 574 Alameda Dr., Livermore , CA 94550 415-447-6104 Nancy Tompkins Harding, 1605 Greenwood Rd. , Pleasanton, CA 94566, 415-846-3469 Myrtle G. Jewett, 4501 Mead Ave., Sacramento, CA 95822 Paulette Puliti, 512 Swallow Dr., Livermore , CA 94550 415-449-8255 New Members are encouraged to contact Membership Chairman Vern Barr (443-1157) to receive your L-AGS Library Card which allows you to use the L-AGS Library at the History Center (Old Carnegie Library) 3rd and K St.

9 , Livermore . Our Handbook is being revised at the present time. Be sure to pick up a packet of information from Virginia that will advise you of the Surname & Locality Index Cards that are being revised right now. You'll want to add your surnames to the list. NEW MEMBERS are also encouraged to submit a Meet The Members Profile for the Tracer so that we can make our readers aware of the surnames you are researching. Any Member who wO'uld like to submit a Profile is welcome to do so. Ask for a "Profile" sheet if you need direction, there should be one in the packet for new members, and mail your completed story to me, Margaret Fazio, at 454 Dover Way, Livermore , CA 94550, 415-443-2576, I'll see that the next Editor gets it. QUERY CORNER Next Meeting: November 10, 1986 Time: 7:30 PM Place: Hacienda Business Park Topic: Rhett Williamson will speak on genealogy software for computers.

10 Comparing his Family Roots with the new Mormon software. December Meeting Date: December 8, 1986 Time: 7:30 PM Place: Hacienda Business Park Topic: Show & Tell The L-AGS Library could use volunteers to act as docents. If you are interested in spending some time during the week or on a Saturday or Sunday once a month, give Louise Throop a call and find out what slots are available. Remember, if there's no docent present, no books can be checked out . ( 447-642 1 ) ATTENTION _~_~__J2!J~~_~JJn~ Againl Our year runs from September September. If you haven't paid this will be your last Tracer . t;o up If there's a question as to your standing, call Vern Barr and check to see if you're on the newly paid list. (449--3046) Alex Haley TV Program If you've got an exciting, dramatic story of a discovery and re-uniting of foreign, blood cousins then you may be interested in his deal.